TechThrowBack: The Nokia XpressMusic Trend

The NokiaXpressMusic line of music-oriented devices was launched some 10 years ago and we can all remember them because it was a resounding market success.

Literally everyone got to own one of those devices at some point. Nokia made sure everyone could afford an XpressMusic as they made it available in several shapes and sizes (trust Nokia for making awkwardly shaped devices) and configurations and price points.

XpressMusic Features

Probably the most striking feature of an XpressMusic was its color. It came in either red or blue. Second most striking feature was the music playback buttons usually on the side of the device or on top, or under, or wherever Nokia decided to put them. Some of them even had fancy lights that panned round the device whenever a song was playing. It was fun to be able to change the song playing on your phone by just pushing one of those buttons and watching them light up in red or blue.

5130 & 5800

The Nokia 5130 XpressMusic was everyone’s favorite with its compact-solid build and catchy colors. The device sold a whopping 65 million units and was particularly popular in emerging markets, thanks to the inclusion of the Opera Mini browser that was bundled with it. It offered high-quality audio and cellular features and other great experiences.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic on the other hand was the first touchscreen-equipped S60 device by Nokia. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic was launched with the Nokia Music Store, which gave a year of free music downloads.The 5800 XpressMusic was a commercial success with 8 million units sold a year after release. It had a stylus and low price and Nokia fans were finally happy to get a touchscreen device especially since Samsung and Apple were beginning to make some notable strides in Mobile phone technology.

The Nokia 5130 was the go-to phone for everyone because it looked good and didn’t cost a fortune. It also came into the market when some of Nigeria’s biggest music acts like Wizkid, Davido, The Mohits crew, Brymo, M.I, and co, were just emerging. Playing ‘Ifunanya’ by P-Square or ‘0809ja’ by Banky W, on the phone was always a major delight back in the days.